


Weird

by purecamp



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, i h8 the tool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 10:08:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12430563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purecamp/pseuds/purecamp
Summary: alaska finds out her asshole boyfriend is cheating on her, and promptly breaks up with him. however, she’s left with a problem: she has no money, her phone is dead and broken, and she’s lost. a hooker by the name of sharon needles comes to the rescue, which in alaska’s eyes is frankly? a little weird.





	Weird

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - i swear to god imma die this is so long im sorry
> 
> anyway. synopsis: sharon is a hooker. alaska is emotionally fragile after a breakup. one word? weird.
> 
> ^^ this is the artificialqueens a/n that i wrote at the time. this was written and posted nov 26th 2016

Orange streetlamps were the only source of light in the city, casting a dim, melancholy glow over the streets. Remnants of the previous morning’s rain lay in wait, grouped together in puddles for those unsuspecting people wandering out late at night. The winter chill had finally settled in, leaving a bitter cold wind to sweep through the streets ever so often, rustling the trash but mostly leaving the vacant street untouched.

High heels clacked rapidly against the pavement. Alaska shivered, a long black coat covering her slim body as she hurried along, desperate to escape the frigid emptiness of the city. Curiously enough, the lack of people was more unnerving than if there were a large group of people around. Being like this – alone, in an empty street with her bare legs poking out from underneath her coat – she felt even more vulnerable. Her heels clacked faster as she continued walking, hugging herself in a futile attempt to keep out the cold and hold herself together. What was she going to do? She pulled out her phone, checking once again even though she knew the battery was dead and the screen was smashed into oblivion. As expected, it didn’t switch on. She shoved it back into her handbag and kept walking. She had no one to call. No way of getting home. She was lost in an unfamiliar city, completely alone and emotionally broken. She took short, shallow breaths as she tried in vain to calm herself. Courtney had been right all along.

The Australian had warned her about this. Her relationship was falling apart at the seams, but Alaska was never one to give up, so she ignored Courtney’s pleads and headed out to Nick’s place anyway. She’d never been there before, but she could trust him. Even if they argued all the time, fighting and screaming over anything and everything, maybe this time would be different. There was always a chance. So she’d paid for a taxi to his place, a feeling of hope blossoming in her chest. They would fix this. The relationship would work out when they talked about it, and they could end the night by cuddling, making out, having sex; whatever he wanted to do. Alaska would do it if it meant she could salvage their tattered and torn love.

It hadn’t happened like that. Nick answered the door in a greasy t-shirt and boxers, a can of Mountain Dew in his hand and a frown on his face. He smelled like unwashed man and sweat. With an irritable grunt, he’d allowed her inside. Crisp packets, empty energy drinks and Chinese takeaway leftovers littered the dingy, dark apartment. The light fixture was just a bulb hanging from a string, and the unmistakable stench of piss in the bathroom made Alaska want to hurl. Still, she had kept her positive attitude, smiling and sitting stiffly on the worn, stained couch after moving some of the trash out of the way. Her elbows stayed tucked to her sides, her legs firmly pressed together, to ensure she touched nothing. It was rancid. Nick ignored her presence once he let her in, resuming his online game and occasionally yelling at the screen. After a few minutes of just sitting and watching, unsure of what to say and smoothing her leopard-print dress when she got antsy, Alaska got up to try and find the bathroom, and maybe take a tour of the rest of his home. Nick offered no help in showing her where it was, simply tossing his head in a vague direction and returning to his game. The bathroom, it turned out, was just as messy and disgusting as the rest of his home; Alaska could see short black beard hairs in the sink and a toilet that clearly hadn’t been flushed. She made her way to his bedroom, peering around only to find a woman asleep under the covers, her clothes strewn around the room.

Alaska walked back into the living room. “Nick, why is there a girl in your bed?” She asked, her voice getting higher and higher as she attempted to hide the hurt in it.

Nick growled and paused his game, turning to face Alaska but staying slouched on his loveseat. “Didn’t know you was coming.” He grunted.

Tears threatened to break the surface. “You shouldn’t have other women! I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I?”

He belched loudly. “Sure, babe. Can I get a Mountain Dew?”

Alaska grabbed the nearest item – which happened to be Nick’s requested beverage – and threw it at him. Her aim had always been terrible, so instead of hitting his head, it missed and hit the wall, where it exploded and stained the carpet.

“People in committed relationships don’t sleep with other people, Nick!” Alaska said, her chest heaving with anger.

“You bitch! Did you pay for that fucking drink? You just wasted $5!” Nick yelled.

Alaska picked up her handbag. “Bullshit.” She swore. She almost never swore unless it was serious. “I probably did pay for that drink. You haven’t had a job for four months and you’ve been taking money from my purse. And now you’re cheating, too!”

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a cunt all the time, I wouldn’t have to cheat! You’re always getting on my back about shit. Nick, get a job! Nick, help me clean up! Nick, why don’t we go out anymore?! Violet never bugs me like you do!”

Alaska felt his words stabbing her like icy blades. “Violet, huh? I’m surprised you know her name, we’d been dating for three weeks before you got mine right. How long has this been going on for?”

Nick’s face went slack, as if he were thinking. He opened his mouth to speak.

One traitorous tear began to roll down Alaska’s cheek, taking some of her mascara with it. “Actually, I don’t want to know. F-fuck you, Nick.”

Alaska envisioned herself storming out, slamming the door behind her and running all the way down the rickety metal stairs that led to his home, a statement of her anger. Instead, her meek personality took over and she slipped out, quietly closing the door and descending the steps with a depressing slowness. It was then she’d realised that she hadn’t paid attention to which way the taxi had driven her, so she had no idea how to get home. Or where she was. Then her phone battery died. Then she realised she had no money on her, to try and hail a cab. That took her up to now – heels clacking against an unfamiliar street as she walked aimlessly in the night.

Panic was steadily rising from the pit of her stomach, filling her with anxiety and dread. Realistically, what was she going to do? No money, no phone, no car. She had nothing. If only she hadn’t fought with Nick! If she hadn’t snooped, she wouldn’t have seen the sleeping girl. Then maybe Nick could have called her a taxi when she wanted to leave. But if she hadn’t found Violet, then she would still be with Nick. Alaska was no quitter and never gave up but some things weren’t worth fighting for. She had no idea why she’d stuck around.

A few minutes passed of Alaska walking in silence, until she approached a bus stop. In the dim light, she could see that the buses didn’t run for the rest of the night; the last one had left over an hour ago and wouldn’t return until the morning. Sitting herself down, she crumpled. Every tear that she’d tried her hardest to fight spilled over, racking her body with huge, shuddering sobs. She was screwed. Alone. Cheated. Used. Lost. Scared. Single. Betrayed. The tears just flowed down her face in torrents. Through her blurry vision, she could see a figure stood on the other side of the road, leaning against a lamppost. When the figure caught sight of her, mostly obscured by the darkness of the bus shelter, they began to approach.

Alaska’s heart rate quickened. Great. A stranger, possibly a murderer or a rapist, was going to see her crying her eyes out in a bus stop at two in the morning. They’d probably have a good old laugh, maybe video her and post it online, before they assaulted and killed her. And then the news of her body being found in a ditch would surface, and Courtney would be devastated that she didn’t heed her warning. How brilliant.

“Hey.” The stranger said.

She dried her eyes on her sleeve, looking up. She couldn’t make out any features in the darkness, but the stranger had sat on the same bench three feet away from her. Their voice sounded rasping and low, like that of someone who smoked cigarettes. Alaska sniffled in lieu of a response.

“You okay?” The stranger tried again.

Alaska stayed silent. For all she knew, this potential murderer could just be grooming her, coaxing her to trust them so they could lure her away and stab her to death.

“Okay, you’re scared. I get it. Can you pass me the newspapers that are next to you? Any of ‘em will do.”

What a strange request. She felt around in the darkness until the familiar texture of newspaper rustled under her long nails. Wordlessly, she grabbed a large wad of it and handed it to the stranger. Maybe they were going to use it to strangle or suffocate her. She was actively participating in her own murder plans. Just your typical Saturday in November, right? Heart-broken and about to be killed.

Just then, she saw a tiny flame appear from a cigarette lighter. The stranger held it to the newspaper, which instantly lit up. Light from the flames illuminated the tiny bus stop, so Alaska could finally see.

The stranger was a woman. She was tall, like Alaska – probably only a few inches shy of her great height. Unlike Alaska, however, her body was much curvier. She wore a black lace bra and a latex skirt that just reached her mid-thigh, revealing lots of long, shapely leg. Her boots were knee-high, leather and skin tight. Alaska’s eyes roamed up and down, taking it all in – her dark eyes with perfect makeup, her voluptuous painted lips, her dimpled chin, her mussed black and white hair. Alaska’s first thought was that this woman must have been frozen to the bone in such unforgiving weather. Her second was that she was was beautiful. Realizing that she was staring, Alaska quickly averted her eyes, dabbing at them again gently with her sleeve.

“Don’t worry about staring. Everybody does it.” The stranger said, using her makeshift torch to light a cigarette. “You’d think they’d never seen someone like me before.”

She took a long drag of the cigarette, and Alaska had never seen smoke exhalation look so graceful. She’d always hated the act of smoking until now, when the sight of smoke leaving the stranger’s lips looked like an art. Alaska didn’t even care what ‘someone like me’ meant. It was relatively safe to assume that the stranger wasn’t going to kill her, so she felt herself relaxing.

“I was only staring because you’re gorgeous. I wish I was less plain and boring.” Alaska mumbled.

The girl turned, incredulous. “Are you kidding? You look fantastic!”

Alaska scoffed.

“I’m serious.” The girl said. “You’re so pretty to look at. Your hair is amazing, and I love your shoes.”

Ignoring her flaming cheeks, Alaska looked at the ground. “I clearly wasn’t pretty enough for Nick.”

The words left her mouth almost before she could control them, shocking her. Trust her to make things awkward and bring up Nick. Bitterness surfaced within her like waves lapping at the beach. She was surprised by her own dark feelings about the situation.

The stranger took another drag of the cigarette and stared out at the sky. “Asshole ex?”

“You know it.” Alaska hummed. “Don’t know why I stuck around so long… he was unemployed, rude, loud… his apartment was a dump, and I found another girl sleeping in his bed.”

“Yikes.” The stranger said, letting a mouthful of smoke curl from her lips and into the night. “That’s rough. How you handling it?”

Alaska snorted, giggling.

“Stupid question.” The stranger laughed. The sound made Alaska happier than she’d felt in… a long time. It was a complete smoker’s laugh – no surprise there – and it sounded sultry and sexy, like her voice.

“You wanna tell me why you’re walking around alone at one in the morning, though?” She added, crossing one of her legs over and shuffling ever-so-slightly closer to Alaska. Her skin flushed bright red, and she thanked her lucky stars that the firelight meant that the stranger couldn’t tell. Briefly, she summed up her night to the stranger, not even questioning why she was spilling all this to someone she didn’t know. What did she have to lose? A phone that didn’t work, a handbag with no money in it, or possibly her life. But again, the stranger didn’t seem interested in murder. She just wanted to smoke and listen.

“…and I just left. Anyway, you wanna tell me why you’re walking around alone at two in the morning?” Alaska challenged, turning the question around. The stranger cackled, leaning back.

“Why do you think? Why else would a punk rock, drunk clown be out on the streets, dressed like this at Satanic hours of the morning?” She joked.

The stranger had a point. Whatever she was doing – stripper, hooker, who knew – it was pretty crystalline from her outfit. Alaska nodded, surprisingly not put-out by the stranger’s openness.

“You don’t look like a clown. Or drunk.”

The stranger took a drag of her cigarette and smiled. “I’m always drunk. And compared to some of the pretty cunts here, I’m a clown.”

How could anyone compare to her? Maybe it was strange, but Alaska was sure that she’d never seen a prettier girl in her life, and her best friends were two ridiculously gorgeous blonde models.

“Why did you end up here?” The stranger asked. “At this bus shelter? The bus doesn’t come until morning, you’ll be here hours.”

Alaska sighed. “My phone battery died, so I can’t call anybody, and I have no money. There’s no way for me to get home.”

Silence. Was this the part where Alaska got murdered? She’d just revealed that she had no way of calling for help and no safe place to go, whilst sat with someone who clearly knew the city better than her and could have less than savoury intentions. She bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth until she tasted blood.

“Don’t.” The stranger chastised softly. “You have really pretty lips, don’t bite them.”

Instead, Alaska resorted to tapping her nails against her leg. Saying it out loud had made the sick feeling in her stomach intensify by a tenfold; making everything more real. She had no way of getting home.

The stranger sighed heavily. She flicked the ashes from the end of her cigarette, cursing when some landed on her bare leg, and proceeded to toss it away and light a new one.

“I love a Lucy.” She murmured, almost inaudibly. Alaska waited as she took a deep breath in, and once again let the smoke leave her lips in the most artistic way. She could only imagine the state her lungs were in.

“Listen.” She said. “What’s your name?”

“Alaska.”

“Alaska.” The stranger shifted again, standing up and sitting back down directly next to her. Up close, she smelled of cigarettes and a heady, intoxicating perfume. She took Alaska’s hand, gently rubbing circles into it to soothe her nerves.

“I came over here because I was hoping to cheer you up and then get some extra cash out of you. It’s a shitty world we live in.” She began, her eyes never leaving Alaska’s. In the firelight, her gaze was so intense that Alaska wanted to look away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wrench her eyes away.

“But this Nick guy sounds like a complete cunt, and you’re in a fucking terrible situation right now.”

Alaska nodded slowly.

“How much was your cab to get here? I have thirty five dollars on me that I earned tonight.”

Alaska gasped out loud. “No way. I can’t take your money.”

The stranger silenced her. “Yes, you can. You need it mor- well, you need it. You need to get home.”

“I can’t. You earned that money, you should keep it.” Alaska argued.

Smoke from the stranger’s lips joined the night sky as she opened her mouth to respond again. “I’m sure you’re not naive, as cute as you look. You’re aware of how I earn money, surely.”

Did she just call Alaska cute? Her cheeks burned once again, but she steeled herself to nod in response. The stranger stared out at the sky, her eyebrows knitted together.

“It’s not ideal. I hate it. I fucking hate this life and I fucking hate what I have to do to survive.” The bitterness was evident in her low, irritated tone. It made Alaska want to pull her into a hug and do anything she could to change her life, even though she knew she had no such abilities. It was a peculiar feeling, but it made the anxiety in her stomach begin to slowly dissipate, so she concentrated on it.

“But we all have to make sacrifices and do shit we don’t want to. As much as I hate this life, I’m a fucking whore. I can go out and find a creepy bastard who’s willing to give me money to see me naked or have sex with me. The night’s still young, I still have time to get the funds to pay rent. But you don’t have a way home.”

Alaska pursed her lips. Taking money from this stranger felt wrong – her moral compass was screaming at her to refuse the offer and be courteous. On the other hand, the logical side of her brain knew that she had no choice.

“How can I pay you back?” Alaska asked, taking the notes from the stranger’s hand.

“You don’t have to.”

Alaska cut in swiftly. “Yes, I do. How…”

Just as she wondered, an idea struck her mind. She was fucking crazy. It was probably the most insane idea she’d ever had, other than dating Nick. It was ridiculous. Unjustified. Stupid. Just like Alaska.

“Come with me.”

Shocked, the stranger didn’t even react to the red-hot ash falling yet again onto her legs. She gazed at Alaska, open-mouthed.

“You have a phone, right? So you can call for a cab, we can go to mine. That way, I can get home, pay you back with the money at my place, and you don’t have to go out and fuck someone for cash. I can just give it you as thanks.” Alaska drawled.

She knew it sounded like a ridiculous idea, but the stranger’s shocked reaction reassured her that she was not, in fact, going to be murdered. She’d gotten over the notion long ago, reasoning that no murderer would go to that much effort for one useless victim, but the sheer surprise at the offer of some money in return for her favour made her think that she hadn’t been expecting any kindness in return. Although she had no idea why, that hurt. Everyone should expect a little bit of kindness. Especially a kind stranger, like this one who was offering to pay for a taxi home after listening to all her life troubles.

“I can’t… Wow, I’m starting to sound like you, Alaska.” The girl joked.

“If I can, you can.” She said firmly. Realising Alaska was resolute, she relented, tossing away her second cigarette in favour of pulling out her phone. She dialled a cab number, briefly told them where they were, and waited.

“You got any friends who might be worried about you?” She asked, offering her phone. With a jolt, Alaska remembered Courtney.

“Yeah. Do you mind?”

The girl shook her head, passing her phone over. The call went straight to answerphone.

“Courtney? Hey, it’s Alaska, I’m calling on a friend’s phone, my battery died.”

Could she call this girl a friend? Were they friends? Alaska was fucked if she knew.

“I figured you wouldn’t answer, it’s pretty late… I just wanted to say that I’m safe, and you were right. Call me back when you get this, love you.”

Less than a minute after she had ended her voicemail, Courtney rang the stranger’s number. Wordlessly, she handed the phone over again so Alaska could speak to the frantic Australian.

“Alaska? Is that you?”

“Hi Courtney.”

“Oh my god, Alaska! What happened? Are you okay? What-”

Alaska laughed affectionately at her friend’s concern. “I’m fine, Court. I went to Nick’s and found out that he’s cheating, so you’re right and we’re done. I’m just waiting for a cab to arrive and take me home.”

“Mmm…” Courtney said. “You’re not alone, right? I know he lives in a real dodgy area, it’s rife with druggies and hookers and the like.”

Alaska’s eyes flitted over to the stranger beside her. She was looking intensely at her shoes, her brow creased. Her heart dropped into her stomach, knowing that she had heard what Courtney said even as she tried to convince herself that she didn’t.

“No, I’m not alone.” She said quickly. “I’m with my friend.”

“Who?”

“Uh…”

Alaska moved her head to the side, to look at the stranger. A twinkle in her eye, she mouthed ‘Sharon’ and returned to her staring competition with her heels.

“Sharon.”

“I didn’t know you knew a Sharon.” Courtney said, sounding confused.

“We haven’t known each other long.” Understatement. “But she’s pretty nice. We get on really well.”

“Oh, cool. I’ll call you tomorrow, if you don’t mind? I’m so tired.”

“No, absolutely!” Alaska said. “Yeah, go back to sleep. Sorry. Love you, Court.”

“Love you Lasky. Bye.”

Sharon looked up from her feet and smiled weakly. “She sounds nice.”

“Courtney? Oh, she’s lovely.” Alaska said. “She’s my best friend.”  
If she didn’t know better, she could’ve sworn that a look of relief flashed across Sharon’s uniquely gorgeous features. But obviously she knew better.

“Wish I had a best friend,” She said with a laugh, but it was mirthless.

Alaska frowned. “You don’t? But you’re so great.”

Sharon snorted appreciatively. “Not even close. Hookers don’t tend to have friends. The only person I speak to on the regular is old Mother Dust, who taught me the tricks of the trade to this shitty life way back when.”

“What about family?” Alaska probed. “Sorry, I’m prying. You don’t have to answer that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sharon brushed her off. “Would you talk to your family if you were a well-known hooker in an awful city somewhere?”

Alaska pulled a face.

“Exactly.”

Surprisingly, the cackle of laughter that follow Sharon’s statement was warm and genuine, and it made Alaska’s heart skip a beat.

“They call me Needles round here.” She said. “Because I have these fucking hot-dog lips.” She pursed them, forcing them into a absurd pout to make Alaska giggle.

“Hey, they look good on you.” Alaska commented. “So you’re Miss Sharon Needles, huh?”

Sharon laughed. “Huh. I’ve never been referred to as a Miss in all my life. I’ve heard bitch, cunt, slut, whore, but never Miss.”

“Well, you have now, Miss Needles.” She repeated.

Just then, the taxi drew up across from the bus stop. Still slightly uncertain, Alaska gave the driver her address, before sitting with Sharon in the back. She adjusted her latex skirt when she sat, tugging down as it had ridden up. Alaska saw the smooth expanse of pale thigh and swallowed, unable to tear her eyes away.

“I feel weird about this,” Sharon muttered, as the taxi drove away. “Seriously, you don’t have to pay me. I’m usually an asshole, this will go straight to my overinflated head.”

Alaska breathed a laugh. “Shut up, Sharon. I’m paying you back and that’s that.”

They lapsed into silence, allowing time for Alaska to think. What a fucking weird, strange day it had been. She’d woken up excited to get to work, hang out with Courtney, and then spend the evening and/or night with her wonderful, albeit slightly useless boyfriend Nick. Instead, she’d gone to work, spent some time with Courtney, found out she was being cheated on by her shitty excuse for an (ex) boyfriend Nick and spent the night talking with an absolutely stunning hooker named Sharon Needles. No one could have predicted that would happen.

The drive back to Alaska’s took about fifteen minutes, and as expected the cabbie charged an extortionate amount for the ride. Feeling guilty, Alaska handed over the notes and quickly climbed out, Sharon at her heel. She fumbled with her key in the door, not realising how cold she was until the warmth of her apartment flooded her, making her skin tingle. Closing the door behind her, she flipped the light switch on and gestured around.

“Welcome to… the place that I live. It’s pretty standard.”

Alaska hadn’t had the time to decorate the apartment when she had moved in, leaving the tasteful, if slightly boring mahogany and cream colour scheme as it originally was. The carpet was light, the same colour as the walls, with a darker brown accent and furniture. Despite the plain decor, Sharon stood staring around for a moment, seemingly impressed.

“It’s nice in here.” She commented. “Way nicer than my place. Can we nose around?”

Sharon looked just as pretty in normal light as she did in firelight. Alaska couldn’t get over how beautifully she was painted, as if her face was a canvas and an artist had created a masterpiece out of her features. It had been a rough night, she reasoned with herself, so she could allow herself a little bit of admiration. Before she became too fixated on how fantastic the black lace looked against Sharon’s breasts, she accepted her request and began to walk her through the apartment.

It was relatively decent-sized. Small bathroom, with a nautical theme and lots of blue and white stripes. Sharon was instantly fascinated by a trinket she had, a figure of a cat that Courtney had bought for her. It was wearing a tiny blue sailor hat and uniform, posing against a rock.

“That looks like Cerrone!” Sharon said, excited. “Alaska, I’ll have to invite you to come see Cerrone at some point. Literally the most disgusting, adorable cat…”

Her excitement was surprisingly endearing. She smiled, and revealed the cute little gap in her teeth. Jesus fuck, Sharon was breathtaking. Of course, that was just a general observation, like the way she acknowledged that Courtney was pretty. Besides, it’s not like it’s unusual to wonder what her lips would taste like, and how amazing her head would look when buried between her thighs…

They moved on. The kitchen was small and nondescript, so they didn’t linger there too long, moving on to Alaska’s bedroom. It was probably her favourite room in the apartment, purely because it was the only one that really felt like hers. She’d plastered the walls with pictures, connecting them all to a string of fairy lights that were draped across everything. It all glowed warmly, illuminating her best memories in a soft golden light. The familiar smell of makeup and her favourite perfume – Red (For Filth) – had permeated the space, so everything about it felt like home.

Sharon looked at one of the pictures on the wall, laughing in amusement. It was from a few years back, a drunken night out with Courtney in which they’d both worn ratty multi-coloured wigs and novelty glasses. The polaroid showed the two of them with their faces squished together, lips pouted and hair lopsided with drinks in their hands. She couldn’t get over how young they both looked – they were nineteen at the time. Mind, Courtney never aged, so the bitch still looked nineteen even though she was far from it.

“Cute,” She laughed. “Is this Courtney?”

“Yeah.” Alaska smiled fondly at the picture. “We were both completely wasted. I barely remember that night.”

Sharon snorted. “You can tell. I bet you had what, three drinks in you? You look really young.”

“You’re absolutely right about that. It was Courtney’s nineteenth.” Alaska told her. “Neither of us were legal, but that clearly didn’t stop us. It didn’t take much to get us both fucked up. Years later and in all honestly, I can’t handle that much more.”

Sharon nudged her gently, scoffing. “Lightweight. I could drink you under the table, but since I’m a professional whore I can’t really say anything.”

Alaska laughed appreciatively. “Well, I’d love to see your skills in action someday.”

“Which ones? My crippling alcoholism or my whore skills?”

Even though she was joking, the tone of her voice was low and almost seductive. Alaska couldn’t hide the fiery crimson colour that stemmed from her neck all the way to the roots of her hair.

“Whichever you wanna show me, Miss Sharon Needles.” She flirted.

Sharon raised an eyebrow. “Impressive. I swear I’ve heard better pick-up lines from the creeps who think they can buy me for $5. I don’t care how fucking charming they think they are, $5 ain’t gonna cut it.”

Alaska laughed; the conversation was quickly turning weird. She took a second to realise that she was stood in her bedroom, having a conversation with a hooker she’d met a couple of hours ago who had essentially counselled her through a breakup. Of course it was going to be fucking weird.

“Seems like a pretty solid way to make money, though. Shitty, but you’ll never be out of business.” Alaska mused.

Sharon nodded. “I fucking hate it. But the electricity bills need paying, and I have a cat to put through college. It gets the job done, I guess. What do you do?”

Alaska opened her wardrobe, revealing the standard black trousers and shirt that was hanging on the inside door.

“Coffee shop.” She said, pointing. “I get to look glamorous and deal with asshole customers.”

“We have a similar life, huh.” Sharon joked. “We deal with the same shit.”

They talked for a little while longer, speaking about any manner of things that sprang to their minds. Topics ranged from work to school to TV to books to friends, bouncing back and forth like they’d known each other for years. It was almost like talking to Courtney – if Courtney were a very attractive, confident and eloquent hooker who laughed like a witch and wore latex and leather and lace. So really, it was nothing like talking to Courtney, except the fact that she was easy to talk to. Words seemed to flow out of Alaska like a faucet that she couldn’t shut off, and in turn Sharon was the same. Alaska could tell that Sharon probably didn’t get to talk much and show off her intelligence, given her lifestyle, but listening to her felt like all of her college classes combined into one human. The only difference was that Alaska drank in everything Sharon was saying, even through her ever-growing tiredness.

“Oh my god,” Alaska muttered. “It’s 4am, I gotta go to sleep if I have any hopes of getting to work tomorrow.”

She stretched and flopped backwards onto her bed, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. Sharon lingered awkwardly.

“I should get going.” She mumbled.

“No!” Alaska protested. “At least stay the night. I’ll give you your money in the morning, but stay here.”

Sharon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess I could crash on the couch…”

“Nope.” Alaska murmured, her voice muffled by the fact that she had pressed her face firmly into her pillow. Without lifting her head, she reached for Sharon and pulled her onto the bed besides her.

“Stay,” She ordered, almost delirious. “I’m… so tired.”

The last thing she heard was that laugh. Oh, that strange fucking cackle that she had. Then she drifted off to sleep, her dreams filled with cigarette smoke and leather boots.

-

Her alarm sounded way too fucking early. The insistent beep beep beep made her want to throw it across the room, so that was exactly what she did. Finally shutting off, the sound went silent and Alaska groaned as she pulled herself up. Almost instantly, she noticed that the other half of her bed was warm, but empty. Her mind raced before she remembered the events of the night before.

Did I really do that? She wondered. Did that really happen?

She looked at her phone, now fully charged. An array of messages lit up the screen.

\- Courtney Act – (8) new message(s)

C: Girl where are you? What’s going on?

C: Call me. I’m worried.

C: Alaska?

C: Let me know if you’re safe.

C: Why is Nick calling me???? What’s going on?????

C: Alaska please tell me youre ok.

C: thank u for calling. Text me when ur phone is charged. Love u

C: who is sharon btw???

\- Nick <3 – (2) new message(s)

N: Alaska babe, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean any of it. Call me.

N: Fine, be a bitch. I don’t fucking care.

\- Unknown number – (1) new message(s)

?: I took the liberty of taking cab money from ur purse. Didn’t take too much, check if u don’t believe me but i wouldn’t screw u over like that. thanks for not judging me and being pretty fuckin cool. hanging out w u at ur place + the bus stop was fun. some other time??? Xxx MISS Sharon Needles

Alaska erased Nick’s text without a second thought, disgusted at herself for dating such an animal. She shot back a response to Courtney before quickly dressing herself for work, her entire body feeling heavy with fatigue. It was far too early to try and formulate a clever, witty or perhaps flirty message in response to Sharon, so she left the message on ‘read’ and headed out the door.

Her shift was dragging on, even though it had only just started. It felt like she was moving through water, sluggish and slow. Her eyes lidded like her co-worker Matt’s, she mindlessly poured drinks and served them, not even caring when splashes of hot water and coffee stained her apron. She didn’t even feel human until her break, when she finally got to take a rest and drink as much caffeine as her body could handle.

“Easy, tiger.” Courtney laughed as she entered the break room, watching as Alaska downed an entire mug of coffee. “You’ll get a heart attack.”

Alaska groaned. “I’m so fucking tired, Court.”

“I know, girl. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“A few hours.” Alaska rubbed her eyes. “Maybe three? I don’t know. Don’t ask me.”

Courtney sat down next to her, impossibly awake and chipper for an early morning. “That reminds me!” She said suddenly. “I came in here because somebody’s asking for you.”

Checking her phone again, Alaska grumbled. “Bad timing, I’m still on break. Is it Nick? I’m gonna riot if it’s Nick.”

Courtney was clearly amused by her tired, scattered brain. She laughed prettily and shook her head, before pointing her out of the door.

“I have no idea who it is. Go find out.”

Slowly, the caffeine in her system began to wake her up, and Alaska braved the horrors of the coffee shop once again with a little more energy. The moment she stepped out from the break room, she was met by a familiar sight.

She was dressed in black jeans, a rather punk-looking t-shirt with a figure on that Alaska didn’t recognise, and a red leather jacket covered in pins and emblems. It was much more appropriate attire for daytime, but it still attracted strange looks from the customers. Sharon was leaning against the counter, effortlessly casual, grinning.

“Well hi there. I was beginning to think I’d got the wrong coffee shop.”

Alaska laughed. “You want a drink?”

“Surprise me.” Sharon challenged her. “Here’s your money. The money that’s mine, that you used, that I took back. Does that mean I’m paying for my own drink, or…?”

Giggling, Alaska waved her away. “You’re making my brain hurt. Can’t you just keep the damn money?”

Sharon leaned closer to Alaska. “Make that two drinks, and then you can finish the rest of your break with me.”

The smile that appeared on Sharon’s face was one that Alaska wanted to make appear again and again. Her chest fluttered as she busied around the kitchen, taking extra care with the two drinks. A part of her still couldn’t believe that she was about to have a potential coffee date with a hooker, but at this point it didn’t seem all that weird. Just in the past night, she’d done weirder.

“Shannon Noodles?” She called out.

From the back of the store, she heard a witch-like cackle. The laugh that came from Sharon’s lips was one that Alaska wanted to make appear again and again. She joined the hooker in her booth, no longer strangers, and passed over her coffee.


End file.
